Testing your Internet connection's performance is a straightforward
exercise. You don't need any extra software—all you need is a computer
with a Web browser. But there are also a few things you can do to make
sure you are getting the most accurate reading of your Internet
connection. Here's what to do.
There are several reasons you may be wanting to test your internet speed.
If you're stuck using Wi-Fi—say, you have a MacBook Air or a tablet or some other device that doesn't have an Ethernet port—do what you can to minimize interference. Make sure your Wi-Fi router is away from other electronic devices like cordless phones, and temporarily disconnect any other devices from your Wi-Fi network—after all, you don't want another computer on your network to download a gigabyte worth of software updates while you run your tests.
The reality can be quite different.
There are several ways to determine the speed you are actually getting. You can use browser-based speed tests to help you determine your download and upload speeds, as well as find out other issues affecting your network such as dormancy, packet loss, firewall, jitter etc.
SpeedTest.net
This web-based speed test will perform three benchmarks to test your download speed, upload speed and latency. Then you can use the obtained figures to compare to the theoretical values your internet service provider claims to offer. This will help you determine if you are getting the speed you are paying for.
Speedof.me
This is an HTML5-based internet speed test. It is lightweight and made to ascertain real-world browsing and download conditions by requesting a number of files in an increasing size and recording speed at which they are downloaded. The result includes a display of a graph of speed obtained in real-time and allows monitoring of results against previous tests. The website automatically calculates the quickest and most reliable server for you, from the available 59.
MySpeed Visualware
Though it lacks in user-friendliness, it is a powerful, fast, and detailed tool that measures more than just how fast you can download a movie, software or game. MySpeed Visualware results provide detailed information not found in other internet speed test providers, including settings for TCP, overall navigation time, laxness, stability level etc. so you know the accuracy of your obtained results.
Speakeasy
It functions a little different from other web-based internet speed tests. You can pick from a major city to perform a speed test from a drop-down menu, instead of just a country or a state. It also provides an app for various devices and operating systems from which to test internet speed. However, it is incompatible with some browsers since it doesn’t run on Flash.
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| How To Check / Increase Internet Speed Online |
There are several reasons you may be wanting to test your internet speed.
- You may have moved to a new location and want to ascertain that you are getting the bandwidth your service provider claims to be providing
- You may have upgraded your service so need to confirm if the upgraded bandwidth is really the one you are getting
- You are experiencing a problem browsing so you want to ascertain if it’s a problem of a certain website or not
- Or you want to test a new networking hardware you’ve bought.
Get ready
For best results, you want to use a wired connection if at all possible; that way, you don't have to worry about interference and performance fluctuations that can occur while you're on Wi-Fi. If you have any other wired devices on your home network, plug your test computer directly into the modem so those don't interfere in your testing.If you're stuck using Wi-Fi—say, you have a MacBook Air or a tablet or some other device that doesn't have an Ethernet port—do what you can to minimize interference. Make sure your Wi-Fi router is away from other electronic devices like cordless phones, and temporarily disconnect any other devices from your Wi-Fi network—after all, you don't want another computer on your network to download a gigabyte worth of software updates while you run your tests.
The reality can be quite different.
There are several ways to determine the speed you are actually getting. You can use browser-based speed tests to help you determine your download and upload speeds, as well as find out other issues affecting your network such as dormancy, packet loss, firewall, jitter etc.
SpeedTest.net
This web-based speed test will perform three benchmarks to test your download speed, upload speed and latency. Then you can use the obtained figures to compare to the theoretical values your internet service provider claims to offer. This will help you determine if you are getting the speed you are paying for.
Speedof.me
This is an HTML5-based internet speed test. It is lightweight and made to ascertain real-world browsing and download conditions by requesting a number of files in an increasing size and recording speed at which they are downloaded. The result includes a display of a graph of speed obtained in real-time and allows monitoring of results against previous tests. The website automatically calculates the quickest and most reliable server for you, from the available 59.
MySpeed Visualware
Though it lacks in user-friendliness, it is a powerful, fast, and detailed tool that measures more than just how fast you can download a movie, software or game. MySpeed Visualware results provide detailed information not found in other internet speed test providers, including settings for TCP, overall navigation time, laxness, stability level etc. so you know the accuracy of your obtained results.
Speakeasy
It functions a little different from other web-based internet speed tests. You can pick from a major city to perform a speed test from a drop-down menu, instead of just a country or a state. It also provides an app for various devices and operating systems from which to test internet speed. However, it is incompatible with some browsers since it doesn’t run on Flash.
Solve problems
Why are my speeds so slow?
Here are some quick ways to stop most problems that may be slowing down your connection:- Ensure you're getting a clean test. Stop any ongoing downloads, and shut down any programs that may be using your connection, such as peer-to-peer software.
- Simplify the picture. If you're using Wi-Fi to connect, try using a wired Ethernet connection to eliminate the possibility of wireless interference.
- Reboot your modem and router. It's the stock advice, but it solves an astonishing number of problems. Quora has a great explanation of why restarting your router simply works most of the time.
How do I clear my browser cache?
- Firefox: Go to Tools > Clear Recent History. Choose the time range and the items you wish to clear and click Clear Now.
- E6 (Internet Explorer): Go to Tools > Internet Options > General.Click Delete Files. Check the box next to Delete all offline content In the window that opens and click OK.
- IE 7 & 8 (Internet Explorer):Go to Tools > Internet Options > General. Under browsing history click Delete. Choose which items you wish to delete and click the Delete button next to each item to delete it.
- E9 (Internet Explorer): Go to Tools > Safety > Delete browsing history. Then untick the option for Preserve Favorites website data, tick the options for Temporary Internet Files and Cookies and click Delete.
- Safari: Go to Safari > Empty Cache. Click Empty in the window that opens to clear the cache.
- Opera: Go to Tools > Delete Private Data. Choose which items you wish to delete and click Delete.
- Chrome: Click the wrench icon at the top right corner of the screen and go to Tools > Clear Browsing Data. Select the items you want to delete, choose the period for which you want to delete them and click Clear Browsing Data.
How to use Ping?
Ping is a network utility command line that is used in Windows (Command
Prompt (cmd)) and OS X (Terminal). Ping in its basic form is a packet of data sent form you a requester to a host, which then a host sends a packet of data back to the requester acknowledging the transaction. During this process of ping measures two things packet-loss and latency.
Read Full : How To Run / Use Ping Test Win 7 / 8 / 10 / Mac
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